Women Named on Blue Plaques in Wakefield

Welcome to the Forgotten Women of Wakefield project. Led by Dream Time Creative, this grassroots project is working tirelessly to unearth stories of women erased from our city’s history and to celebrate their achievements in the form of ensuring Blue Plaque Parity and creative upskilling of the local community.

ANNOUNCING!

FWW's Exposé On Charles Wateron and Petticoat Patrimony

This past 16 months has been the most challenging, exhilarating and rewarding for the Dream Time Creative research and writer team.

We have, thanks to a grant from #NationalLotteryHeritageFund, given some radical workshops which challenged the perceptions of Charles Waterton BECAUSE we looked at the herstories of the women in his life, the Edmonstone sisters.

Here, in a series of 8 articles, written by Sarah Leah Cobham based on research by Helga Fox, Sarah Cobham, Catherine Clarke, Zainab Jode, M Sharon Kabanda, Abibat Olulode, we show that Charles Waterton did, in fact, value and perpetuate the slave trade and provided the words saying so for a piece of silver presented to his friend Charles Edmonstone. The sisters, Eliza, Anne-Mary, Helen and Bethia were born into one of the most violent and bloody times of the British occupation of British Guiana, and their father, was at the heart of it. Their stories deserve to be told, and that is what we are doing:

Petticoat Patrimony: The Edmonstone sisters.

The Louisa Fennell Trail in Multiple Languages!

This vital project, designed to celebrate not only the life and achievements of Louisa Fennell but also the multi-cultural, diverse and vibrant community in Wakefield that enjoy the legacy of her artwork, honours 6 different languages and makes our city’s history and heritage accessible to all.

Find out more here!

Other Recent Projects!

Petticoat Patrimony

We are thrilled to annouce we have been awarded £10,000 by The National Lottery Heritage Fund for “Petticoat Patrimony”. The project will allow us to explore the lives of three historical black women from Wakefield, Ann, Charles Waterton’s wife, and Eliza and Helen Edmonstone, his sisters-in-law. These stories have never been told before.

Read all about the project by clicking here.

IWD 2022

We held a Week of Celebration for International Women’s Day 2022.

People attended a raft of workshops for every crafter and artist, a concert, and so much more! Here are all the events:

And you can learn more on Facebook, here.

Our New Book: Clara Clarkson's Merrie Wakefield

Within the pages of ‘Clara Clarkson’s Merrie Wakefield’, the reader will enjoy a faithful reproduction of Ann Jacques’ ‘Merrie Wakefield’ but will also have the benefit of extensive research by historian Helga Fox to accompany them as they are transported back in time.

This book also contains creative responses to Clara’s journals by writer Sarah Leah Cobham, with visual interpretations by artists Shannon S. Wishon and Zainab Jode. The book also details aspects of the award winning film ‘Clara’ written by Caleb Shepherd, directed by Anastasia Arsentyeva, and produced by Dream Time Creative. The film reimagines parts of Clara’s journals to create a gripping drama.

‘Clara Clarkson’s Merrie Wakefield’ is offered as an ongoing piece of work and a gateway into Clara Clarkson’s life for the reader to enjoy and cherish.

Order your copy by emailing us today!